


Legally Strange

by paintedskullfairy



Category: Legally Blonde - All Media Types, Strange Magic (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, Law School, Movie: Legally Blonde (2001)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-02-28 07:51:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13266999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paintedskullfairy/pseuds/paintedskullfairy
Summary: Marianne Woods has it all planned out and cannot wait to become Mrs Roland Huntington III. Only one problem – he doesn't think she's smart enough. Determined to win him back, Marianne pulls out all the stops and makes it into Harvard Law School – and that is only the beginning.





	1. Marianne E. Woods

"I love that restaurant! I heard that apparently, Madonna went into labour there." An excited female voice chirped down the receiver. 

"Oh god." 

"What?" Asked the voice, a hint of confusion at the change in topic.

"I have to go shopping for tonight." 

A squeal was heard down the phone.

"I'll ring you later Dawn to tell you how it went, promise."

"Ok, Mari – bye!" 

The phone died and Marianne looked up to see her small four-legged companion trot over, something in his mouth.

"What you got there Brutus?" Marianne asked, bending down to take the letter from his mouth. It was the same token shade of pink that adorned most of the Delta Fae sorority house, MARI was carefully spelt out in glitter glue.

With care, Marianne opened the letter.

GOOD LUCK TONIGHT!

MARI AND ROLAND FOREVER!

Marianne beamed at the contents as the butterflies swirled and surged in her stomach. She glanced over at the framed picture of Roland on her shelves, his beaming smile staring back at her.

Could tonight be the night? She thought.

She hoped so.   


***

"Magnolia! Silene!" Marianne cried out, as she ran over to her friends. 

"It always impresses me how far you can run in heels." Magnolia commented, observing Marianne's four-inch shoes.

"One of her many, many talents." Silene commented with a grin.

"You guys," Marianne said, pulling both in for a hug. "Thank you for the card, but like I said, I don't know if tonight will be  **the** night."

"Don't be modest it totally is!" Silene said, "you just know he has the rock." 

"Remember he's taken that trip to see his grandmother, like no-one does that unless they want something." Magnolia said, twirling a long strand of curled blonde hair around a manicured finger.

Silene rolled her dark eyes.

Marianne had been friends with both girls all through college, after all, they were her sorority sisters. They were basically as close to Marianne as her actual sister was, who was equally excited about the potential outcome of tonight. 

Dawn had already commented on how Madonna went into labour at the restaurant Roland picked out, now getting engaged and becoming Mrs Roland Huntington III could be on that exciting list. 

"Do you really think?" Marianne asked, slightly dreamlike.

"I can't believe you're getting engaged!" The two girls squealed together, practically jumping on the spot. 

"You guys have to help me pick out an outfit," Marianne said, but as soon as she said so, Silene was already marching them towards the boutiques downtown. 

  
  


***

"Red is the colour of confidence!"

"Don't disregard your signature colour!"

"This is  **the**  date, it's not like any other date," Marianne exclaimed, looking once again in the mirror at her reflection.

The dress she was currently wearing was as sparkly as the glitter glue on her card this morning. It shimmered in the light as she turned. It looked good, but Marianne knew it wasn't the one.

She put her hands on her hips and analysed what she didn't like. This is what Marianne was good at, it served her well all her life, especially in her fashion merchandising classes. 

Marianne observed her hair, shoulder length and blonde, not too vivid but enough to make people believe she was a natural.

When in fact her hair was actually much darker, just a shade shy of Silene's colour. The last time she had her natural colour, Roland commented on how it was a disaster. 

Marianne had agreed.

Her younger sister, Dawn was naturally blonde and that wasn't fair.

Every week Marianne had to get it dyed, to stop the dark roots from showing.

"Excuse me miss." A voice said from behind the three girls, they all turned to see the sales assistant holding a red dress.

"Would you like to try this on? We just got it in yesterday." 

"Oh." Marianne said, taking the fabric in her hands, stroking it slowly with her fingers. 

"Has this got secure stitching on the hem?"

The sales assistant nodded, a look on her face that read as if she wasn't expecting that reaction.

Good.

"Thing is," Marianne started, Silene and Magnolia looking at one another and then to the assistant. "You can't secure the stitching too much otherwise it would snag the fabric."

The woman blinked in astonishment as Marianne handed the dress back, Magnolia and Silene watching – eyebrows raised.

"Also, you didn't just get this in... it was in last year's Vogue. So, if you’re trying to sell it to me at full price, you've picked the wrong girl." 

The woman retreated behind the counter as Marianne's friends gave a silent applause. 

"So badass." Magnolia muttered.

"Many, many skills" Silene repeated with the same smirk. 

Beaming in her achievement, Marianne turned back to the mirror.

This is it, she thought.

***

There was a knock-on Delta Fae's front door and Marianne watched from the top of the stairs as it was opened and Roland walked in.

"This is it!" Silene squealed quietly from behind her. 

"Go get him!" Magnolia added, before giving Marianne the soft push on her back to get her to go down the stairs like they rehearsed only hours before.

As she descended she kept her gaze on Roland. He was grinning up at her, his white smile making her heart flutter. Marianne thought how his suit was perfect, his hair was perfect, he was so so  **so**  perfect.

"Buttercup," Roland said, looking longingly at Marianne with his glistening green eyes. "You look beautiful." 

Nerves were getting the better of Marianne, "So do you." She said in a short breath. The butterflies had ceased flying around in her stomach and decided on acrobatics instead. 

Slowly they fell into a kiss, and Marianne could hear the room fall silent. 

Once their lips parted, Roland softly said he would wait in the car. As he walked off, Marianne collected her bag and was sprayed once with perfume before leaving.

She knew the whole sorority house was quietly wishing her luck and watching closely as the couple, voted best dressed on campus for the last three years, left for their date.

***

 

"Must be strange having such perfect eyes." Marianne commented as the waiter poured their drinks.

Roland smiled softly and chuckled.

She didn't mean to say it out loud, but at least Roland never thought of Marianne as weird.

"Mari, you're so lovely - thank you." 

Marianne could feel herself blush as she reached for the chilled champagne. "Here's to us." She toasted, barely containing the smile. 

"To us." Roland repeated, clanking his glass carefully off Marianne's.

Marianne took a sip straight away but noticed how Roland kept his glass suspended.

He sighed before lowering it to the table. 

"Mari," He began to say, his hands folded on the table. Marianne responded, leaning forward.

"One of the reasons, for coming here tonight... was to discuss our future together." 

"And I am completely open and ready for that discussion." Marianne said with a large smile, the moment was coming she could feel it. Why else would Roland want to discuss their futures?

"Harvard is going to be different, Law school is going to be different. It's a completely _different_ world, I know we've been having all kinds of fun, but now I need to be serious." 

"Of course." Marianne replied, her stomach knotting.

Serious, as in _**serious**_ serious.

As in, getting married kind of serious. 

"Everyone expects a lot of me, my family... even I expect a lot from me." 

Marianne nodded, Roland was so mature she thought to herself.

"I plan on running for office someday." 

"I fully support that Roland, you know that." Marianne said, reaching across the table and quickly giving his hand a squeeze.

"I do..." Roland said, reaching up to fiddle with a stray golden curl. "But the thing is if I'm going to be a senator by the time I'm thirty – I need to stop dicking around." 

Marianne's heart fluttered, gone was the young college man she knew who could drink beer and still look devilishly handsome. Now Roland sat before her, mature, confident and ready to be married.

"I completely and wholeheartedly agree." Marianne said, the smile still present on her lips. She chuckled giddily, barely able to contain her excitement. 

Roland smiled back, "That's why I think it's time for us, Mari, Buttercup-"

"Yes-" Marianne whispered softly.

"-I do." "I think we should break up."

A moment passed by, as Marianne's smile dropped from her face. "What?!" 

She must have misheard him.

"I've been thinking... about it and it feels like the right thing to do." Roland said, his smile looking more like one of pity than love.

"You’re breaking up with me?" Marianne said out loud, letting herself repeat the words because it just didn't seem true at all. "But... I thought you were proposing..."

"Proposing?" Roland asked before scoffing. "I need to marry someone... serious and smart."

"So you're breaking up with me because I'm not smart enough?" Marianne asked, biting her lip in an attempt to reign in her emotions.

"No..."

"Then what?!" She urged, her voice becoming louder. People seated nearby had ceased their discussions and were now looking over at the arguing couple's table.

"Mari-" Roland pleaded.

"So, when you said you would always love me, you were just dicking around?!" 

"I love you, buttercup, I do." Roland said, leaning in – embarrassed by the commotion that was beginning to be made. 

"I'm just under a lot of pressure from my family -" Roland began, listing off an array of achievements such as his brother's latest engagement and his family's history of being senators.

Marianne couldn't stop holding back the tears, she let out a small wail and then hurried out of the restaurant, tears falling down her cheeks. 

She didn't care that her mascara was now running down her face, or if she scuffed her shoes on the pavement. Her heart was in tatters.

How could Roland do this?

She was too caught up in her own thoughts to hear his car pull alongside her.

"Marianne... please get in so I can take you home." Roland said from behind the steering wheel.

Marianne ignored him, too focused on her own emotions to deal with him right now.

"Please, I didn't want to do this but it will be the right thing for both of us. It's what my parents would want."

Marianne looked over at him, he was smiling – that smile he always used. It made Marianne feel sick. 

"I'm not good enough for you or your parents?" Marianne asked, hiccupping through her tears.

"I need someone serious Mari."

"But I'm seriously in love with you..." She said, hiccupping again. 

Roland sighed deeply and asked once again for her to get in the car.

Marianne refused. 

"You'll ruin your shoes." 

Marianne looked down at her feet, they _were_ new shoes. Ones that Dawn had helped pick out especially for tonight. She lifted her head and looked forward. Also, It was an eight-mile trek home after all. Perhaps Roland would change his mind once they arrived back at Delta Fae.

He didn't.

Marianne got out the car and as soon as she took a single step, he was gone. 

***

 

She lifted the nth chocolate out of the wrapper and slowly bit into it, not even registering the taste.

There was a knock on the door, but it stopped shortly after it begun. 

It's not like Marianne would have even got up to answer it, her heartbreak was unbearable.

Brutus curled up beside her – equally sharing her sorrow. He lifted his head when the door handle turned and in walked Silene and Magnolia each holding a respectable takeaway cup, an extra cup in Silene's grip.

"You need to leave this room, it's been like, what a week?" Magnolia asked crashing on the bed.

Marianne sniffed in response. 

She knew her roots were showing and her nails were chipped beyond belief, but she didn't care.

Silene scooted next to her, "Come on, let's get you outside and do something."

"Like what?" Marianne asked, finishing the last of the chocolate, still not registering how it tasted.

"Something that always makes us feel better duh!" Magnolia exclaimed.

***

 

Within the hour they were sat in a nail salon. Although Marianne didn't feel up for being pampered, her two girlfriends sat getting their fingers polished.

At least she was outside, Marianne thought to herself as she picked up one of the lifestyle magazines that had been resting on the table. She flicked through the pages not taking in any of the information until she spotted something that made her gasp.

The old lady, who was seated next to her gasped too at the sudden response.

"Do you know who this is?" Marianne exclaimed, thrusting the magazine under the woman's nose.

"No-" She began to say, but Marianne cut her off.

"That's Roland's older brother!"

"Who?" 

"He's just gotten engaged," Marianne explained and she continued to read, she mumbled out the caption that sat beneath a recent photograph of the couple and then noticed something.

"...First year, Yale Law." 

The idea struck.

Marianne gasped again, making the old woman startled for a second time.

"This is the type of girl Roland and his parents want him to marry!" Marianne let a smile spread across her face.

"This is what I need to become to be serious!"

"What?" The old woman asked still helplessly confused.

But a determined Marianne was already on her feet and heading out the door.

She thought the phrase over and over again in her mind, this was it.

She would and could win Roland back, after all, he did say that he was still in love with her.

Marianne was going to become serious, and there was one sure way of that happening. 

Marianne E. Woods was going to become... a _law student_. 


	2. The LSATs

"Law school?!" Dawn almost shrieked down the phone. "Why on earth do you want to go to _law school_?"

Fighting the urge to sigh, Marianne kept her composure calm. She knew telling people her decision to go to Harvard would be met with more than a few raised eyebrows, but this would prove how serious she could be. She could just imagine Roland's face when he saw her in the hallway! 

"Dawn, going to Harvard is the only sure way of getting the love of my life back." 

If her younger sister could accept Marianne's sudden change of pace, then her father definitely would.

There was a long pause from the other end of the phone, Marianne could just imagine Dawn's face in a frown, a strand of her loose ringlets curled around a finger as she paced, phone to her ear.

"Mari... Law school doesn't seem like you. I heard on a talk show of people going insane after bad breakups and doing irrational things, and if you go to law school you'll end up wearing those grey skirts and..." 

Marianne could hear Dawn shudder.

"…knitted vests, urgh." 

"Dawn, I  _need_ to do this. _"_

"Look _,_ I know I'm infamous for rushing into things, but what happens if it doesn't work out?" Dawn said, voicing her concern.

"Roland loves me, he is just concerned about his image. Once he sees I'm serious, everything will be just like before. But getting into Harvard is the only way I can prove how serious I've become."

"Fine." Dawn sighed, "but please... don't start wearing knitted vests." 

Marianne laughed with relief, "You know, I heard vests were making a comeback this season..." 

"Mari!" Dawn giggled.

"So, what do you need to get into Harvard?" 

***

The career counsellor's office was a place Marianne had never visited before. 

She had never needed to until now her path had always been laid out for her, but she was confident that was about to change. 

Marianne eyed the fishbowl that sat pride of place on the desk as the career counsellor flicked through her academic folder with a raised eyebrow.

"Harvard?" The woman asked, her voice a merge of question and shock.

"Harvard Law School?" The woman repeated as if she was just making sure what she read was indeed correct.

Marianne nodded perkily, "That's the one." She said with one of her award-winning smiles. (An act that took years to master.)

"But that's a top three school." 

"I know," Marianne said, "I have a 4.0 -"

"Yes..." The woman interrupted, "but that's in-" once again she flicked through the file until she found the information she was looking for. "-Fashion merchandising."

Marianne remained silent, trying to read the woman but to no avail. She failed to see what the potential issue could be.

"Harvard will not be blown away that you can recall the entire history of tartan." With a heavy sigh, the counsellor placed the closed folder down and interlinked her fingers. "Backups?" 

"There are no backups, I'm going to Harvard." Marianne declared confidently.

The counsellor's wide, bewildered eyes blinked back at Marianne. " _Right..._  if that is the case then you will need the following _,"_ she pulled out a small piece of paper and began jotting down quick notes as she called out the requirements. "You will need excellent recommendations from your professors, a brilliant admissions essay and at  _least_  a 175 on the upcoming LSATs." 

She held out the small bit of paper which Marianne eagerly took, determined to make a start straight away. With a new destination in mind, Marianne quickly thanked the counsellor for her time before flying out of the office, leaving the woman behind in a state of confusion.

"You're welcome?" 

***

Marianne had rented out twenty different books from the campus library, from self-help guides to practise questions with detailed answers, each provided some sort of insight for the law school admission test.

From what she had read in the last two hours, it certainly was not going to be an easy feat. It wasn't that she was stupid, her 4.0 and other academic achievements highlighted that, it was just... she had never ever explored the possibility of law.

There was just  _so much_  of it.

Marianne kept reminding herself of the end goal - so that she could finally be Mrs Roland Huntington III.

While reading through prep tests, Marianne could faintly hear Magnolia and Silene approaching from the hallway, their topics ranging from the old Spanish class they used to take to Magnolia's metabolism. 

Marianne looked up just in time to see them nearly faint in her doorway. Brutus lifted his head from his paws and, along with his owner, stared at them with uncertainty. 

"Marianne... what-what are you doing?" Magnolia asked as she approached, eyeing the books wearily.

"Reading about the LSATs." Marianne explained, holding up the current textbook she had been reading for her friends to see.

"Ah," Silene said with a sympathetic and understanding nod. In a swift action, she turned Magnolia and whispered, "I'm pretty sure my cousin had it down on his-"

"Girls." Marianne interrupted, "The LSATs are an exam. I'm going to Harvard, Harvard Law School." 

The pair blinked. "What?" Magnolia asked, "Why are you going there?" She gasped, "Do you know someone who goes there or something?"

Marianne shook her head, "No,  _I'm_  going to study there." 

Silene crouched down by Marianne and Brutus, the latter who had already proceeded to curl back up in his bed. "I know how hard this has been for you and that you are really, really..." Silene eyed the books, "... _really_ upset, but isn't this..." She gestured to the pile of textbooks that surrounded Marianne, "a little, I don't know, not you?" 

Marianne rolled her eyes, she appreciated her friends' concern but it was the same worries as her sister. Once they understood the plan, they would be on board, she just knew it. It had happened before when they were cautious of the dark colour eyeshadow trend, but all three rocked that look back when they were freshmen.

"Once I get into Harvard and become a law student, Roland will realise how serious I am and we'll get back together. It's a flawless plan."

Magnolia who had joined the other girls on the floor, tilted her head. "But isn't it really hard to get into law school?"

"Well, I do have the highest-grade point average in Delta Fae." Marianne began to say but stopped when she saw Magnolia and Silene smile.

"If this is what you want then, in that case, we're on board," Magnolia said.

"We'll help in any way we can." Silene added.

Marianne told them of her plan in detail, how she had already got in contact with her current professors and decided that her admissions essay would be in video format, as that would make her stand out from the other participants. 

While her friends clapped and squealed about the potential looks, outfits and locations for the admission video, Marianne packed away her books. But it was when doing so that she caught sight of herself in her mirror.

Heartbreak had taken its toll but nothing was more affected than her hair. 

Marianne silently thanked her subconscious for making her wear a hat today while she had been out. Her once perfect blonde hair had now dark brown roots sprouting from her parting. To make it worse she was sure she could make out the auburn highlights she had been naturally gifted.

When she would eventually meet up with Roland at Harvard, she couldn't let him see her like this.

Still, a part of her ached when she saw her dark hair. It was the same colour that her mother's hair used to be, expect her mother had worn it short. But Roland had commented on how much better Marianne looked as a blonde when she dyed it as a one-off for a spring break getaway.

He was always right. 

Marianne pushed the thought to the back of her mind, focusing on her current task at hand. "Alright girls," she said with a determined sparkle in her eyes, "let's brainstorm!" 

***

 

The next month was packed with preparations for Harvard.

Dawn came and stayed at Delta Fae to help Marianne practise for the fast-approaching LSATs. Marianne was thankfully for her sister being there, as there were times she would hear the roaring chaos from neighbouring parties and desperately want to go, but Dawn would give her a displeased look and shake her head. 

Marianne took practise test after practise test and each time the returned score was below what she needed, the number circled in a thick red marker. But she didn't let it dampen her spirits, instead, she kept going; renting out more books from the library and studying harder for the mocks.

When she wasn't revising with her sister, she worked alongside Silene and Magnolia on her admissions essay. 

Marianne was incredibly proud of the final video. 

"A true Mon-ett" Magnolia had said when they showcased it to the rest of the girls in the sorority house.

"It's pronounced, Monet." Silene replied, "The 'T' is silent." 

Magnolia shrugged, "Why bother adding a 'T' to your name if you aren't going to give it any attention?"

*

 

The night before the exam Marianne sat in front of her dressing mirror and combed through her recently dyed hair. The locks fell into place on her shoulders, but Marianne couldn't appreciate them for the growing feeling of nausea she tried to repress.

Worries echoed quietly in the back of her mind. ' _W_ _hat_ _if I don't get 175? What if they don't like the video._ _.. What if Roland is right, I_ _won't_ _ever be_ _serio_ _us_ _enough for him...'_  Marianne glanced over to the stack of marked papers that sat in a neat pile on her vanity. The overall scores had risen considerably from the initial 143 to 151 and up the latest result of 172.

Dismissing the pointless worries, Marianne focused on the positives. She was so close now; the end was nearly in sight. All she had to do was remain confident. That was who she was; Marianne E. Woods, President of her sorority, the 'princess' of the campus people. She knew that future lawyer should, and soon could be added to that list. 

***

 

The paper in front of her was filled with words and phrases that sounded familiar, yet so foreign.

The rhythmic ticking of the distant clock and the constant scratching of pencil on paper was all Marianne could hear in the eerily silent exam hall. 

She kept looking at the clock to the current question she had been stuck on, trying to remember all those revision sessions she had with Dawn. 

Then, as if by magic, the clock glided onto its next number and she understood.

It was as if someone had switched on a lightbulb in her brain. With speed and precision, Marianne worked her way through the rest of the paper, filling in the questions and understanding exactly what was being asked of her. 

She had completed the LSAT before time was called.

Handing in the finished exam, Marianne left the room confident that she had done her best and for now, that was all she could do. 

For the time being, she would just have to wait.

***

 

"MARI!" Dawn cried, running through the halls of Delta Fae, alerting every girl's attention to her. She was running so fast her white slip on pumps nearly flew off. "MARI!" She yelled again, "IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE!" 

Delta Fae's had begun to filter out into the halls and gather in the foyer, anxious to hear the long-awaited results.

Marianne was halfway down the stairs when she heard her younger sister's shouts and hurried down to meet her, Dawn thrust the enclosed envelope into her older sister's open hand. 

"Oh my god!" Magnolia squealed, grabbing at Silene. The both of them interlinked their hands and waited by the others, ready to hear the news.

Marianne could feel her palms sweat, she was so nervous. All these weeks of preparation were for this one moment, the moment she would find out whether or not she was going to Harvard. 

She looked up anxiously to see her younger sister's large blue eyes staring back at her.

"Open it!" She mouthed with a smile.

Letting out a deep breath, Marianne slipped a burgundy nail under the back of the envelope, tugging it open in one swift movement. She turned away from the others and carefully pulled out the enclosed document. The room was silent, and Marianne could feel everyone watching her, waiting.

But in that moment, as she unfolded the piece of paper that decided the future, it was just her and the deciding document. 

Her eyes glanced at the contents and exam result. She stopped, almost forgetting to breathe.

"Mari?" Dawn asked, a small trickle of worry in her voice.

Marianne turned around to her sister's and beamed, unable to stop the grin on her face from growing wider and wider. 

"179!" She screamed, throwing her arms in the air.

Delta Fae erupted with shrieks and cheers for Marianne. Magnolia and Silene jumped and screamed in each other's faces before joining Marianne in a celebratory hug and ceremonious lift. Confetti fell from the ceiling as she was lifted up like a newly crowned queen on a pedestal.

She had done it!

***

 

There was stunned silence in the boardroom as the last few seconds of the video admission played.

"That's why you should have me, Marianne Woods, as a future lawyer at Harvard!" 

The boardroom seated five men, each had the highest academic achievements in their respective fields. They dressed in fine, tailored suits and knitted vests and looked from the video to each other, waiting for someone to say something. 

"She does have a 4.0 in fashion merchandising." Said one of the men, breaking the tension.

"A... fashion major?" The chairman replied, clearly not convinced.

"We have never had one before." Spoke up a younger man, "And we are always looking for diversity amongst applicants." 

"Not to mention the 179 she received on her LSATs." Replied another. 

The chairman looked at the man on his left, hoping he would say something to sort out this madness. 

The man pushed up his glasses before awkwardly fumbling through the file in front of him. "I have to admit that the range of extracurricular activities is impressive, environmental work, charity events, animal rights..."

The chairman scowled, "She was an extra in a Lucas Film." 

A man sitting opposite spoke up, "Clearly, she is into her filmography." 

In disbelief, the chairman looked at each man one at a time, but then he sighed defeatedly.

"Marianne Woods," he said before looking back at the admission essay for a final time.

"Welcome to Harvard."


	3. Welcome to Harvard

As the breeze flowed through her dyed locks, Marianne smiled to herself as she drove towards her new home: Harvard.

Lisa Loeb's 'We Belong Together' played over the radio, loud enough for Marianne to hear as she drove her sleek, purple convertible down road after road, followed closely by the moving van. 

Finally, Marianne spotted the campus, it's grand buildings so regal and majestic, while students sat and played frisbee on the grass outside, soaking up the day's sun. 

"Brutus?" Marianne called over to her canine companion in the passenger's seat. "Brutus aren't you excited?" The grey coloured chihuahua raised his head at the sound of his name and jumped up as if to get a better view of their new home. 

"I'm so excited!" Marianne added, to which Brutus gave an agreeable bark. 

She noticed other cars parked up, with people unloading their belongings. Parking next to them she wondered if the moving van may have been a bit too much, but there was no way the selected range of things she decided to bring with her would ever fit in her car. 

That's when Marianne realised that the surrounding people simply stopped and stared at her. She was used to having people's eyes on her, but this wasn't a look of admiration, it was a look as if she was being judged.

Chalking it up to paranoia and nerves, Marianne held her head high and proceeded to make herself at home, ignoring people who wore knitted jumpers straight out of 1972 and telling their friends to 'check out Malibu Barbie.' 

 _'Where's the beach honey?_ ' Marianne thought to herself, ' _that's an_ _original_ _one... I'll totally have to write that down sometime._ ' 

Marching up the steps, Brutus trotted behind her. "Don't be scared." She declared with determination, "everyone will love you."  

***

The 'welcome' banner flew proudly overhead as Marianne walked up to the registration stall, eager to receive her schedules, handouts and social events calendar. 

The atmosphere felt different than yesterday, with more people pining over their own paperwork rather than her, Marianne was glad not to be the centre of attention. 

She had wondered last night as she tossed and turned, unable to sleep - if they would take her seriously. Surely it wasn't her clothes because after all if an outfit was good enough for Cameron Diaz, it was good enough for her. Marianne thought it could have been because of her hair. That thought was proven to be nonsense, surely there had been blonde lawyers before her.

"Name?" Asked a guy in an antique jersey, not bothering to look up from his clipboard.

"Woods, Marianne." 

A quick glimpse up turned into a full check out, his eyes scanning her. 

The familiar knot of worry twisted Marianne's stomach, she wouldn't feel weakened or inferior. Besides her outfit was totally rocking today.

He grabbed a padded envelope from the pile on the stall and handed it to Marianne before returning to scroll through his clipboard.

Marianne opened it up flicking through the document sheets quickly.

Maps, reading lists, class schedules... but no social events?

That was odd for a place like this.

"Hey, erm, I think my social event calendar is missing?" 

The guy looked up a confused yet annoyed look on his face. 

"What?" He grunted.

"Social events," Marianne repeated, "formals, mixers, trips... that kind of thing." 

Slowly he raised an eyebrow before sighing and returning to flick through the papers. Marianne began to suspect he wasn't going to answer.

"Alright." Marianne sighed with a smile, dismissing the man's rude nature. "Could you please tell me if Roland Huntington III has registered yet?" 

The guy raised his head and flicked back and forth through the paperwork, "No..." He said initially, "No, maybe you should check with your hair stylist, perhaps they would know." He finished off with a smile that seemed as if the insult had satisfied his intelligence. 

Marianne made a noise that registered as a silent 'how rude' before walking away. 

"We knew it would be hard Brutus," she whispered to the small dog that happily sat in her bag. "It will be worth it, Roland is going to be happy to see us – I'm sure he's missed you."

Brutus growled.

"Oh, come on. Anyway, we have a kind of meet and greet on the grass, let's go meet some of our classmates!" 

***

Seated in a circle formation, a poor man's Charlie Simpson took charge, he spoke so slowly that Marianne wondered if he had taken anything that morning. 

"Okay... welcome to law school." Knock off Charlie began in such a dull tone that was either because he just rolled out of bed, or he really didn't want to be here with a bunch of freshmen for orientation. 

"This is the part where we talk about ourselves – you." He nodded to a guy who was sat with his knees to his chest, clutching them so tightly his hands were changing colour. 

"Me?" He asked, stuttering almost. 

Mock Charlie nodded.

"Um, my name is Thatcher Kidney, but the orphan's I helped deworm in Somalia nicknamed me as 'Thang', I have a masters in Shakespearian literature and a PhD in mycology." He sideways glanced at the woman to his left to indicate he'd finished. In response, she raised an eyebrow before turning to face the group.

"Hey, how you doing I'm Steph Wexler. I have a PhD in woman studies emphasizing in the history of combat." She paused and mimic a punch on Thatcher, who clearly hadn't been paying attention and took the blow with a bemused grunting sound. She then proceeded to run the unclenched fist through her short, tight curls. 

As the next person spoke, Marianne pondered on what she should say? It was hard to compose your life in a few short sentences.

"It's your turn." The guy said as Marianne snapped back to attention. 

"Hi, I'm Marianne E. Woods and this," She held up Brutus for the group to see, "is Brutus Woods. We're both Gemini folkloristics, I have a bachelor's degree in fashion merchandising, president of my sorority Delta Fae and last year I was homecoming queen." The group stared at her blankly.

"Oh, and last month I saw Evan Rachel Wood while out shopping and talked her out of buying this horrendous cashmere sweater. Whoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed." Marianne added with a smile.

The group didn't speak, their mouths were open and eyebrows raised.

Marianne was pretty confident that she had just nailed orientation.

***

As Marianne put on her mauve jacket, she signed and turned to Brutus who had perched himself quite happily on one of her many plush cushions. 

"Wish me luck Brutus, this is my first class as a  _serious_  law student."

She raised the glasses she had intended to put with the outfit but decided against them. After all, many pioneers had famously said 'less is more'.

With confidence she headed off to her first class, even greeting people who looked at her with a friendly hello. 

She turned the corner and almost stopped short when she spotted Roland by a notice board.

Her heart fluttered as she let the smile spread across her lips and without thinking she eagerly began to march forward, her blonde ponytail swaying with ferocity as she did so.

She strutted past Roland, who did a double take at the swirl of blonde that glided past him.

"Mari?" He called out in disbelief.

Marianne turned around, acting as if she hadn't seen him until this point. "Roland, hello! I totally forgot you go here!"

Roland's perfect brow creased, "What are you on about? Are... you here to see me?" He asked, his green eyes wider than usual.

With an almost smug smile, Marianne answered. "No, no. I go here."

"Go... where?" 

"Harvard, you know -  _law school_." 

"I don't under- you,  _you_ got into Harvard? "

Marianne held back a scoff, "What like it's hard?" 

Cautious of being late for her first lesson, Marianne checked her watch. "I need to head to class, but I really want to speak with you, meet me afterwards on the benches. Bye!" 

Marianne gave a quick bubbly wave before heading off, her heart threatening to explode out from her chest.

Roland still stood at the notice board, speechless and bewildered as Marianne headed into a classroom down the hall.

***

 

Students began to file into the classroom, taking their seats quickly. Marianne stood for a moment just after she entered, she couldn't help feeling proud of herself.

She had done it, she had gotten into Harvard Law and now this was her first ever class.

' _Never underestimate Marianne Woods!_ ' Marianne internally declared with pride as she took a spare seat in one of the front rows. Around her students were pulling out textbooks and laptops. Marianne swallowed, she hadn't known she needed to bring anything! Panicking, she rummaged around in her bag, grateful that she packed a notebook and pen that morning. 

Her teacher, a small yet sharp looking woman with red frizzy hair tied back as if to control it, spoke out. "The seats you have chosen will be yours for the next nine months – of your life! To those of you in the front row..." 

Marianne sat up, noticing the teacher's grey eyes on her. 

"Beware." 

A chill ran down Marianne's spine and her smile dropped as she wrote her name on the register that had been placed in front of her. As her fluffy pen signed her name, the teacher continued.

"The law is reason free from passion. Can anyone tell me who spoke these words?"

Marianne looked sideways to see Thatcher 'Thang' Kidney shoot his hand straight up into the air.

The stern woman slowly walked up to Thatcher, "Go on." She pressed.

"Aristotle." He responded, looking as if he might scream with panic.

"Are you willing to bet your life on it?" 

"I-I think I would." 

The teacher nodded, before turning around and tapping a student a row in front of Thatcher on the head with a pencil to get his attention. 

"What about... _his life_?" 

Thatcher stared at the fellow classmate and then back to his tutor, then repeated the process seven more times.

"I... I don't know." 

"Well," She said, before returning back to the front of the class, collecting the register that lay in front of a concerned Marianne en route. "I recommend in this class you know before you answer. The law leaves little to no room for self-doubt." She paused and gave a sly smile, "But you were right, it was Aristotle." 

Thatcher breathed a sigh of relief, the girl next to him congratulating him on answering correctly.

As the tutor began to talk about the reading material, Marianne felt a feeling of nausea in her stomach. She already felt unprepared for her lack of learning equipment, but she didn't know there was any work set prior to the class, she was so screwed. Hopefully the teacher wouldn't find out-

"Let's call on someone from the front row... Marianne Woods." 

Marianne awkwardly let out a soft laugh, she was positive if she was honest and explained she was unsure they had an assignment the teacher would let her off. It was the first day of class anyway. 

"I wasn't aware we had an assignment due." Marianne answered truthfully.

The tutor, although small in height still towered over Marianne as she was sitting, looked back onto the register, calling out another name instead.

"Violet Kensington?"

Marianne turned to see two girls near the back, straighten up from behind their computers. Violet smiled as the other girl lowered her head.

"Do you think it is acceptable that Miss Woods is not prepared for this lesson having not read the required material?" 

Marianne looked over at the girl, sure her blue cardigan and pearl necklace combo were very country club, but she seemed nice enough to help her out.

Girls supported girls after all.

"No, I don't." Violet said, showing little to no expression on her face.

"Would you support my decision to ask her to leave class and return when she is properly prepared?" The teacher asked.

"Absolutely." Violet responded almost in a robotic tone, the teacher turned to face Marianne who by this point was shocked. With the tutor's back turned, Violet looked straight at Marianne and mimicked her early gesture of a head bob, looking far more manic than Marianne ever would.

Hurt and annoyed by the request to leave and Violet's rudeness, Marianne gathered up her belongings - to which she was thankful was few - and left the class, heading straight for the benches outside, fearing she would scream with frustration. 

Caught up in her own anger Marianne stormed outside, muttering to herself as she did so. Her arms flailed about as she went over the humiliating moment that had occurred mere minutes ago. She threw down her bag on a bench and sat down, letting out a loud and annoyed groan as she did so.

With her arms folded tightly around herself, Marianne almost didn't hear the voice ask if she was okay.

"Yeah..." Marianne whispered, but before she could help herself she spluttered out her frustration.

"Do they get a kick out of picking on you? Like do they do that all the time?!" 

"The professors, aye they can be tough."

"So, what - if you don't know an answer for something they can just throw you out?" 

"Oh, you have Griselda Stromwell huh?" 

"Yes!" Marianne declared, whirling around to face the reassuring man. He was hunched over some paperwork, his briefcase resting beside him. His hair was a dark brown and medium length, not a look Marianne thought worked for guys, but he pulled it off rather well. The cerulean colouring of his eyes shone in the autumnal light.

"Did she do that to you too?" Marianne pressed, hoping she wasn't the only one to face such embarrassment. 

"No, Stromwell and I have a complex relationship. But she did make me cry once, but that thankfully wasn't in public. Aye, she'll kick you right in the ba- well you know. She's tough." 

Marianne sighed and slumped down on the bench. "Great" she mumbled.

"It gets better, first few weeks are always tough. Who else do you have?" He asked.

Marianne recalled the names that were highlighted on her class list. "Chipphan, Royalton and Impingfall."

"Let's see... Ok so, speak up in Chipphan's classes, he likes people who are opinionated. If you can, get a seat in the back row for Royalton, he has a tendency to spit because he gets excited speaking about liability and er, for Impingfall just keep reading the source material, he gets most of his exam questions from there."

Marianne nodded slowly, letting this newfound information be retained. Her saviour awkwardly smiled as Marianne added, "I'm really glad I met you."

"Same." He said with a crooked yet genuine smile.

"Are you a third year?" Marianne went to ask, but the response was cut short by Roland's greeting.

"Hi!" Marianne responded, before turning back to thank the man. "Thank you for all your help."

"Good luck." He concluded with a nod before collecting up his belongings and becoming lost in the horde of students that had begun to file out from nearby classrooms.

"Hi Roland." Marianne nearly sang as she reached him. 

"Hey, so er, how was your first class then?"

"It was good. Except for this nasty country-club girl who tried to make me look bad in front of the whole class, but I handled it pretty well I think. So, how was your summer?"

Roland looked the smallest bit terrified, "It was, yeah it was good." 

"Did you do anything exciting?" 

Again, Roland stumbled for the right words as a hand grabbed his shoulder, a large diamond shone on an unpolished finger. Marianne followed the hand with her eyes and found it belonged to the nasty girl who got her kicked from class.

"Hey, have you," He stuttered to Marianne, "met... Vio-let?" 

"Hello." She greeted with the same blunt expression. "Violet Kensington." 

Marianne glanced between the two. "Do you two know each other?"

"She's-"

"I'm his fiancé." Violet announced, positioning her hand under her chin so to show off the ring once more.

Marianne stared at the diamond, its cut reflecting off little rays of light.

"I'm sorry." Marianne apologised, shaking her head. "I think I just hallucinated... _what_?" 

"We used to date years ago, but we got back together this summer at a family gathering."

Violet smirked, "Roland has told me all about you, you're famous at our club... yet I didn't think you would be here?" She glanced upwards at Roland.

"Buttercup, I didn't know she  _would_  be here."

Marianne's insides dropped, 'buttercup' was what he called her. What he had _always_ called her. She felt if stayed in that spot for a moment longer she'd be sick and it would just be yet another thing to mock her about.

"Excuse me." She stated weakly as she stumbled to her car, the tears now pouring down her face.


	4. The Game is On

In a manic state, Marianne drove through the unfamiliar streets, the wind blew her dyed hair in all different directions, but she couldn't have cared less as she put her car's stereo up to the max.  

The blaring music drowned out her sobs and tears. She dreaded to think of the state her mascara was in as she blubbered, biting her lip and trying to push the thought of Roland and, _ugh_ , Violet, from her mind.  

But it wasn't working, Marianne kept thinking of how he had looked at her, called her buttercup and most importantly, how  ** _she_**  had the ring. 

Suddenly, a sign caught her eye, the writing was undeniable tacky but it was the slogan underneath that caused her to gasp. 

 _HAIR AND NAILS._  

Marianne and her sister would always give each other manicures when they were stressed out or upset. Their mother had taught them the importance of health care and grooming. 

"Everyone looks at your nails, whether they mean to or not." Her mother had said, "It is important to keep them clean, even if just from a professional point of view." 

Marianne knew it was impossible for her mother to be here, but she wished Dawn was.

After performing a very illegal U-turn, Marianne parked unprofessionally outside, the neon lights flickering 'beauty salon' were to be her only hope. 

"Thank god." She muttered, practically throwing herself through the door.  

Inside it was fairly empty, given the time of day. The receptionist, a red-headed woman who dressed like it was still the 90's, was in deep conversation on the phone. Fearing that she might start crying again at a moment's notice, Marianne spotted a free seat at the nearest beautician's desk.  

The blonde woman had her face buried in a celebrity gossip magazine, clearly on a break.  

"Are you free?" Marianne asked, placing her hands in a shell-shaped bowl on the countertop. "It's an emergency." 

"Bad da-" The woman began to respond, but as soon as she lowered the magazine, Marianne freaked.

"Dawn?!" Marianne said through tearful eyes, "What... what are you doing here?" 

"I work here."  

"Since... _when_?" 

"Since you started Harvard. I hated the thought of being so far away, so, I decided to move closer." 

"But, what about college? Dad? He can't be happy you have a job."  

"We all know you are the brains of the family, and he is  _totally_  fine with it. Said mum would be have been proud of us taking on the world."  

The mention of her mother made Marianne start blubbering again. 

"Come on Mari, what's wrong?" Dawn pressed. 

Marianne inhaled deeply, trying to stop herself from having a full-on mental breakdown. 

"Spill." Dawn ordered, and Marianne opened the floodgates. 

"I worked so hard to get into Harvard Dawn, I missed all those parties just to pass the LSAT's, I did all that to get Roland back and now-" Marianne hiccupped, "now he's engaged to some awful girl called Violet, so all my effort was for nothing and now... now I wish I listened and had never gone to law school."  

"After you did all that and went through all that trouble." Dawn practically growled as she started on her sister's nails.  

"She has the ring Dawn, the ring! It was just sitting there on her finger and it was like she was taunting me with it. What am I supposed to do now?"  

"You're asking the wrong person Marianne, I never had any successful relationships, they all seemed to just go down the drain." 

"Dawn... that's... I didn't know you felt that way." 

"Well... it's just one of those things." 

"But you are so confident, I mean, when you flirt with guys at parties you were bold and always made the first move. I don't think I have ever even seen you blush." 

"I just-" Dawn started to say but was cut off by the salon's bell ringing as a short, uniformed man entered, carrying a heavy parcel. He had shorts on, (which Marianne noted was apparently common for all those within the mail industry,) that showed off his dark, toned legs and his wild hair was stuffed under a hat that bore the company's logo.  

Marianne looked to her sister to carry on their conversation when she realised that Dawn was still staring at the delivery guy.  

He turned and smiled at her and Marianne watched as a flush of pink rose up on Dawn's cheeks as she muttered 'hello' under her breath as she smiled back, her hands fumbling so hard that she knocked over the shell Marianne's fingers were bathing in.  

"Oh god." Dawn hissed under her breath as she patted her workbench with a towel, "look what I did."  

The delivery guy waved goodbye to the others in the salon, but as he turned to go, he caught Dawn's eye and smiled once more. She followed him with her eyes and then turned to Marianne. 

"Could I have just been any more of a goddamn idiot?!" Dawn scolded herself, "right, okay, so this Violet - is she as pretty as you?" 

Marianne paused before answering, the girl was pretty but nothing major, but that was nothing a little mascara and removal of a knitted vest couldn't solve. 

"She isn't _unfortunate_  in the looks department," Marianne said with a slump. 

Dawn nodded in consideration while taking Marianne's hand and resuming the manicure. 

"Are you sure Roland is  _the_  one?" 

"He is Dawn." Marianne explained, "I love him."  

"If that is the case, then what are you waiting for?" 

Marianne looked up confused, her tears now dried on her cheeks. 

"Steal the bastard back!" She grinned, and Marianne couldn't help but smile. 

 

*** 

 

Professor Chipphan stalked around the room, eyeing everyone individually. 

He explained that each student would be not only competing for the top grade, but also for an internship. It was the start of a metaphorical bloodbath that Marianne was determined to win. 

If she could secure that internship, it was another tick in the box for her plan to get Roland back. 

"Miss Woods?"  

Marianne sat up to attention at the sound of her name. Chipphan looked at her from where he casually sat on the lecturer's desk, the question he asked, about a client being guilty, deserved a moment's thought before answering.  

She could see Violet and her annoying friend turn around to gawk at her from the row in front, but she ignored them and smiled as she answered. 

"Neither, I would want to have a client who was innocent." 

The class laughed, Violet and her friend too, who started snickering at her expense.  

"Dare to dream." Chipphan stated, and Marianne couldn't help but feel deflated.  

"Miss Kensington?" He called, resuming the class, "what would you prefer?"  

Violet turned around quickly and sneered before giving her answer, when finished, she lovingly rubbed Roland's back, letting the fluorescent light overhead gleam on the engagement ring.  

 _'This is it,'_ Marianne thought to herself.  _'The game is **on**!'_  

She raised her hand confidently, Chipphan noticed, "Yes Miss Woods?"  

"I have changed my mind, I pick the dangerous one." She looked down at Violet whose eyes were now wide. "I'm  _not_ afraid of a challenge."  

 

 

*** 

 

 

Over the next couple of days, Marianne began to implement her 'Get-Roland-Back' Scheme, GBR for short.  

One day, she saw Roland playing football with a couple of guys on the common, so, she decided to go and tactically do some work.  

Tactically, as in wearing a bikini. 

Another time, she brought a basket full of freshly baked rolls into the library to see if she could join Roland's study group. Sure, Violet and her snobby friend were also part of it, but like Marianne had said, she was not afraid of a challenge.  

Except, she was met with resistance. 

"Our group is full." Violet announced with little to no expression on her face. 

Marianne smiled nevertheless, "Oh is this like... an RSVP thing?" 

"It's like a smart people's thing." Violet's friend barked back. 

"We can make room for one more-" Roland started to say but was kicked hard under the table by Violet. 

"The answer is no." Violet stated firmly, before resuming her writing. 

Marianne looked to the others at the table, who simply turned a blind eye and resumed their work. Even Roland didn't say anything. 

She guessed that was it.  

Fine, then she and her freshly baked rolls would just go somewhere else for now. 

As she made her way towards the library's exit, she could feel people's eyes on her. It was something she was used to, but now? Now she felt more alone than ever. 

 

 

*** 

 

 

Marianne threw herself on her bed, she swapped her 'law' clothes for comfortable, fluffy pyjamas and cuddled up with Brutus who had wedged himself between her arm and chest.  

"Today has not been a good day." She told him, to which he responded with a yap. 

Marianne leaned back onto the bed with a heavy sigh. Her gaze wandered to the phone and before she even realised it, she was punching in the numbers, on the second ring the call was picked up.

 

"Hello?" Magnolia answered in her normal 'happy-go-lucky' tone. 

"Hey, it's me." Marianne replied, smiling already at hearing her friend's voice. 

"It's Mari!" She could hear down the line, so at once she knew Silene was with Magnolia. "Guess what I am doing right now Mari, this very second!"  

"Oh, erm, I don’t know, what?" 

"I'm trying on wedding dresses!" Magnolia squealed with Silene in tow. 

"What-" Marianne was about to ask but was interrupted when the phone was handed to Silene. "Hey! Have you got the rock yet?"  

Marianne chewed the response over in her mind. "Almost." She lied.  

"Well, get on with it girl! We miss you and want you to come home!"  

"I miss you guys too, the people, especially this one girl-" 

"OH!" Silene interrupted again, "Super important, I have a completely different hairstyle, it makes me look older in a good way, more professional. I have bangs now! Crazy right?" 

There was fumbling down the line as Magnolia began to ask Marianne to keep a weekend in June free, then there was some more squealing, which turned to a yelp and then phone line went dead. 

Taking the phone away from her ear, Marianne sighed. That had to be one of the most useless phone calls, and she couldn't help but feel envious of Magnolia's proposal. 

A few months ago she was certain that would have been her, trying on wedding dresses, deciding on a train and tiara, but now she was lying in a dorm room listening to people talk about a party in the hall. 

_Wait._

_A party?!?!_

"No way is someone actually throwing a-" Marianne fumbled on her words when she peaked her head into the hall to investigate and was confronted by Violet and her identical snarky friend. 

"-Party?" Marianne finished, already starting to feel embarrassed. She knew what the answer was going to be. 

The two girls gave one another a quick look.  

"There is a party."  

"But... you probably won't want to come." Violet finished, "It's a... costume party." 

Marianne hugged Brutus close to her chest, "I love costume parties." 

"Oh." Violet said with a shrug of her shoulders, "I guess we will see you there, everyone's going." They turned and continued down the corridor. Marianne couldn't help but feel excited.  

This party would be a perfect opportunity to work her magic on Roland, that and she loved any excuse to dress up. Afterall, she had been hanging on to a pink playboy bunny outfit for this exact situation. 

"Aren't you excited Brutus?" Marianne asked optimistically. 

Brutus looked up with his large puppy dog eyes and growled. 


	5. The Valuable Marianne Woods

Marianne waltzed with confidence as her mauve-coloured, designer heels made distinctive sounds along the path that led up to the party.

The pavement was littered with wet leaves and the logical part of Marianne’s brain complained about the cold. While she did have thick fuchsia tights on, a coat would have kept off the chill, but unfortunately, it just didn't go with the ensemble. 

As she climbed the steps, she could see that the party was already in full swing. A relief as Dawn had commented on how she once read an article that showed that law students were, in a study, the least likely to have fun. 

When Marianne stepped inside, the latest R’n’B hit was playing at full volume, people were chugging the free beer and it looked like it would be a good night. It wasn’t until she went into the main room that she realised something was horrendously wrong.  

Someone let out a cry of "Oh My God" when they saw her and instantly the entire room turned their heads to get a look. Everyone gawked at Marianne for being the _only_ one in costume.

Marianne froze to the stop as people laughed, stared and wolf whistled her.  

Why did she think it was a good idea to come dressed as a playboy bunny of all things? Why did she even _think_ of listening to Violet in the first place?! The girl hated her, this only confirmed it further.  

She shouldn’t have tried to be friendly, the game was on after all and she had just let Violet openly take a shot at her. Well, she wouldn’t let her win that was for sure.  

Ignoring the sheer embarrassment and ever-growing urge to run, Marianne smiled sweetly as if nothing was wrong and made her way to where Violet sat with her smug friend drinking cheap champagne from a couple of dainty, small glasses.  

“Thanks for inviting me,” Marianne announced, trying to hold back her anger. “Super fun party you have here!”  

Violet spat out her drink and coughed at the sight of her, her friend bursting into a fit of giggles when she saw the rabbit ears. 

“Nice- nice outfit.” Violet spluttered, relishing in Marianne’s misfortune.  

“Thanks.” Marianne remarked, her smile now falling into a straight line. “I like your costume too. Except, here is a tip, when I dress up as a frigid bitch, I try not to look so constipated.”  

Marianne stormed off, not caring that Violet just sat there stunned. She wiped the corners of her mouth from where she had spat out her drink and glumly commented on how Marianne was _’the worst'_ to which her friend reminded her that Violet was the one with the ring.  

Deciding to make the best out of an already terrible evening, Marianne went through the house trying to find Roland. At least  _he_  would appreciate her outfit.  

She found him standing beside a beer keg, listening to Steph Wexler talk about something that she was clearly passionate about, but she knew that look in Roland’s eye - he was bored. 

“Hi, excuse me-” Marianne chimed in, giving Roland a little wave.  

“W-wow!” Roland stammered, to which Steph shook her head knowing he was never truly interested in her petition to change the names of the educational system and joined Thatcher ‘Thang’ Kidney over the other side of the room who offered her a half-drunk plastic cup of warm beer.  

“So, what is with the costume?” Roland asked when they were finally alone in the middle of the crowded room.  

“Oh, you know me.” Marianne laughed, “I just... fancied dressing up.” 

She noted that Roland was drunk, his eyes looking her up and down. She placed a firm hand on his shoulder and flicked her gold locks.  

“Don't you think it's crazy we haven’t seen more of each other.” Marianne flirted. 

“I know, I’ve been so busy with the workload. All these case studies, urgh, just insane.”  

“Right?! I can’t imagine doing all this  **and**  Chipphan’s internship, it will-” 

Roland laughed sharply, cutting her off. “Mari, be realistic.” 

Marianne let her hand drop down by her side, she didn’t like where this was going.  

“What do you mean be realistic?” 

“You’re not going to get the grades for it, or to even pass this year, you’re just not smart enough buttercup.” 

Marianne took a step back. She had thought that this night couldn’t get any worse, but it seemed that everything was falling apart around her. 

“Hang on a second, I think I heard you wrong. Are we not both at the _same_ Law school, do we not take the _same_ classes?” 

“Yeah but, it’s you, Marianne. You should do something that you’re good at, you know... something  _valuable_.” 

It dawned on her then. That all this effort, to apply, to revise and study, to take the LSATS to get into Harvard - was a waste.

**No.**

Of course, it hadn't been a waste. She, Marianne E. Woods, had done what no one thought she could do. She had done it, and she would keep doing it, but not for Roland, not anymore, but instead for _herself_.

Marianne put up her hand to stop Roland from continuing. “I’m... I’m never going to enough for you? Am I?” She asked, wanting confirmation but already knowing the answer. 

“Mari-” Roland slurred, trying to grab Marianne’s hand but she knocked him away, turning on her heels and leaving for the front door.  

“I’ll show you how  _valuable_ Marianne Woods can be.” Marianne seethed as she left the party behind, bunny tail in tow.  

 

*** 

 

Marianne wondered why it was that whenever she was upset she turned to shopping as an emotional crutch. She also wondered why these goddamn laptops were so fricking heavy. 

As she tried to get a better grip on the box that kept slipping out of her hands, someone coughed from behind. 

_‘Oh god,’_ Marianne thought,  _‘please don’t be another guy who is going to make a rabbit pun.’_  

Instead, she was greeted by the guy who had calmed her down right before she found out Roland was engaged to Violet. While he kept a straight face, his blue eyes were laughing.  

At least he wasn’t being a jerk, that was a major plus. 

“Don’t ask.” Marianne said with a heavy sigh, indicating to her outfit.  

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He replied with a smirk as Marianne stepped forward to pay for the laptop, trying his best to avoid looking at the bunny tail. 

 

*** 

 

Over the coming weeks, Marianne poured her time and energy into studying. Each waking hour was spent reading books, writing reports and essays. It seemed to be paying off. 

In one class, Griselda Stromwell picked on her to answer a question. Marianne had felt the initial fear in the base of the stomach, and then she realised, she actually knew what Stromwell was talking about. 

“You need evidence,” Marianne began with false confidence, “so, that, your claim has... evidentiary... support.”  

Surprised, Stromwell let a small smile slip onto her face, before pouncing onto another student.  

With a sigh of relief and a proud grin, Marianne knuckled down even harder than before.

It seemed that she was also making friends in unlikely places. While in the library on one occasion, Marianne had been searching for a particular book for what felt like hours. She scanned the same nine shelves repeatedly, and when she finally found it, no amount of jumping would get her even close to the top row of books in which it was stacked.  

Marianne had growled under her breath, but in the next moment, the book was handed to her. She looked up to see Thang, happily munching away on a sandwich. 

“Thank you.” Marianne said with a genuine smile, it seemed that not everyone here was as bad as they had first appeared. 

Finding a new wave of motivation was proving cathartic and even Dawn had commented, when Marianne visited her on her half days and weekends, that there was a twinkle in Marianne’s eye that hadn't been there before.

It was on an autumnal mid-week day like this, that Marianne had asked Dawn to do her a favour. 

“YOU WANT ME TO WHAT?!” Dawn cried. 

“Well, you are working in a _hair_  and nails salon. If you can’t-” 

“Of course, I can, I’m just... surprised.”  

“Me too, I only decided it this morning, the roots were beginning to show and I just thought, why the hell not.”  

“I can’t even remember the last time you _were_ your natural hair colour.”  

“Years ago.” Marianne recalled, remembering when she had dyed it one summer. “There’s also... something else I want you to do.” 

Dawn pursed her lips and grinned like a Cheshire cat. “I’m all ears.”  

 

* 

 

Dawn had explained that she couldn’t magically wave a wand and make Marianne’s hair the exact same as it was all those years ago, that would take weeks, maybe even months of hair care.

However, she did work her magic in other areas. When Marianne had woken up that morning and seen the familiar dark roots sprouting from her scalp, she wondered why she ever let someone else tell her how she should look. 

She was done living her life by other people and thus decided to take drastic action. 

Marianne trusted her sister wholeheartedly and knew Dawn was the one person who would make her vision come true. She had wanted a completely different hairstyle, one that was as equally stubborn and fierce as she was. One that was identical to someone who had truly loved her; her mother.  

As she combed and cut, Dawn had handed Marianne the magazine she had been religiously reading that day. The main, featured story was of a beautician, who looked scarily similar to Jennifer Coolidge who with the help of a law student managed to rescue back her baby dog from her vile ex-husband. 

“It reminded me of you.” Dawn explained as she worked away with scissors and comb. “You’ll be able to do good things and make the world a better place.” She ran her hands through Marianne’s hair and stepped away with a beaming grin. 

“I’m finished.” She announced. 

Marianne was anxious but nevertheless, she spun around in the chair and faced the mirror. 

The face staring back at her was familiar, but it felt so different. 

Her once long, blonde hair, partially dying from all the chemicals she had been using on it over god-knows-how-many-years, now sat as a dark pixie crop, her auburn highlights somewhat visible. 

“They’ll become more noticeable when the roots continue to grow... do- do you like it?” 

Tears filled Marianne’s eyes and she looked over her shoulder at her sister. 

“I absolutely friggin’ love it.” 

 

*** 

 

Class the next day was interesting, to say the least.  

Marianne watched as Violet’s friend nudged her, to which Violet with Roland in tow, turned around and gawked at Marianne.  

“What has she done to her hair?” Violet sniggered, “oh god and I thought the blonde was bad!”  

Without even entertaining them, Marianne kept her chin raised as she took her seat in the row behind, taking out her laptop and finishing some last-minute notes before class started.  

Professor Chipphan waltzed in and began the seminar, reminding all students that the deadline for applications for his internship was fast approaching. Marianne had made a mental note of the date weeks ago, she still had a copy of her résumé tucked away in her bag. 

Towards the end of the class, Chipphan opened up to a debate that had come up in local news. Marianne listened intently, taking several pages in notes until Chipphan posed a question and Roland answered.  

Since starting the semester, Marianne realised that Roland had not engaged in class as much as she thought he would of. After all, he was supposed to be the wannabe lawyer in the first place.  

After Roland had finished speaking he did his usual smug smile and slouched back in the chair, his arm draped around the back of Violet’s seat. 

Marianne glanced back at her notes and it was then, as her pen poised to continue writing, she noticed an error in what Roland had said. 

Cautiously, she raised her hand. 

Chipphan, not realising Marianne's change of hairstyle, squinted for a moment before realising the student's identity, “Ah, Miss Woods, you have a question?”  

Marianne stated that although the argument that Roland had made was solid, she couldn’t help but wonder about the alternatives within the case and if the defendant really was innocent. When she finished, she waited nervously for Chipphan’s reactions. 

“I believe you have just won your case.” He grinned, causing both Roland and Violet to turn around, their mouths open in shock. 

Marianne couldn’t help but smile. 

After class as the students filed out, Chipphan called out to her, placing the large textbook they had been reading down on his desk. 

“You did well today Miss Woods.” 

“I did?” Marianne asked, “Thank you.” 

“The internship, you are applying, aren’t you? Do you have a résumé?” 

“I do!” Marianne exclaimed, rummaging through her bag until she finally pulled out the pink piece of paper. Truthfully, she would have opted for purple, but she didn’t want it to be too dark to read. Plus, pink was cute, candy was normally pink and who didn’t like candy? 

Chipphan starred dumbfounded at what she had handed him. “It’s... pink?” 

“And scented.” Marianne added, knowing that spraying the paper with the smell of candy was a smart touch. “It adds a little something extra.” 

Chipphan continued to stare, so Marianne, fearing she might be late to her next class, simply said her goodbyes and left. 

 

* 

 

Chipphan waited until everyone had left the classroom before turning to the figure who approached him.  

“Do you think she just woke up one morning and thought to herself, you know what, I’ll think I'll go to law school?” 

The figure laughed, “I think she has a lot of potential all that aside, here is the Plum file by the way.”  

“Thanks Bog.” Chipphan said, taking the file and passing him the pink sheet of paper, “smell this.”  

“What is that?” Bog asked after sniffing the paper, the aroma of parma violets filling his nose.

“It’s her résumé.” Chipphan replied, taking a sniff for himself.

Bog turned and watched Marianne, who continued to stroll down the corridor, unaware of the conversation they were having. He smiled, "smells good." 


	6. The Case of P. Windam

Together the Woods sisters watched the snowflakes fall, it felt rare to have such a quiet moment to themselves, especially with how busy each of them had been. As the year began to draw to a close, Marianne couldn’t believe how fast everything had happened, how quickly it had all changed.

“A toast!” Dawn whispered, though there was no need, the entire salon was empty apart from them as it was her turn to lock up for the night. 

“To what?” Marianne asked, peeling her eyes away from the snowfall. She had grown into her hair more, falling in love with it every passing day.

“To you!” She exclaimed with a smile, “to everything you have accomplished.” Dawn held out her drink, ready for Marianne to celebrate with her.

Marianne lifted her own drink, smiling alongside her sister, unable to resist the merriment of the moment.

“To us!” She cheered.

***

When the semester started again, everyone was bustling with full bellies from the Christmas break, but Marianne was bursting with motivation. 

However, as she turned the corner, the hallway ahead was packed, students crammed into a small crowd that was rapidly growing. Nudging her way through as people stepped away from the group, she noticed how some were sulking, others misty-eyed and a few looking like they might have a complete breakdown. She asked Thang, whom she spotted in the crowd, what the hell was going on? 

“Chipphan’s firm is defending a murder trial but because it’s so big, he’s taking on first-year interns!” 

Marianne gasped – the résumé! Had she given it in too late? Was the layout too unprofessional? She knew she should have printed on purple paper rather than pink.

“He picked them already?” Marianne asked, still in semi-shock at this development, Thang nodded and Marianne, intrigued, moved closer to the board to see who the lucky few were.

She didn’t need to see the first couple of names to know who got a place as she could hear Thang congratulate Steph Wexler on the internship and Violet as she squealed to Roland about both their placements. She eagerly kissed him, to which Marianne just ignored. She didn’t care about Roland anymore, she cared about herself.

And she cared about that last name that hadn’t been read out.

Someone in the crowd, eagerly announced to the group that there was only one name left and that name was-

“Me.” Marianne muttered to herself, observing her full name at the bottom of the list. She blinked again, even putting her hand beside the name just so it could sink in.

“ME!” Marianne cheered, ignoring everyone else in the room and basking in this moment.

It felt good to be badass.

Roland and Violet stood shocked, their mouths an unflattering gaping hole. Marianne smirked, _payback time._

“Roland?” She called, marching up to them with elegance and style. “Do you remember when we spent those four,  _amazing_ , hours in the hot tub?”

“Yea- no, **no**.”

“This is SO much better than that!” Marianne grinned, “now, excuse me but I have some serious shopping to do!”

Marianne didn’t bother to loiter around to listen to Violet’s comment about the length of time, or Roland’s embarrassed reply, instead, she marched onwards.

Yeah, it did feel good to be a badass.

***

Marianne knew a thing or two about fashion.

Okay, that was an understatement, fashion was in her blood, her oxygen was designer handbags and her airways were the shoes to match. 

The elevator doors were polished that you could see your reflection in their golden hues, and as Marianne rode up to the floor where the first initial meeting with Chipphan’s firm was taking place, she couldn’t help but admire the ensemble she had chosen.

It was practical and timeless. The pencil skirt, which thankfully allowed room to move and therefore strut, went so well with the heels Marianne herself would have been convinced they were designed to be a pair. The shirt, which was layered with a short sleeve cardigan, sported a polka-dot pattern and had subtle frills that cut through the black, but it was the button, enlarged and red that held the shirt together that gave the outfit a pop of colour. One Marianne matched with a scarf tied to her handbag.

The door’s opened and awkwardly she stepped out the same time as Roland and Violet. Roland looked every bit the lawyer in his grey suit, but his uneasy facial expression and gesture when he saw her caused him to run off, leaving Violet behind.

As the elevator doors closed behind them, Marianne released that she really liked Violet’s jacket. Sure, it was too much black and she looked as if she had just come from a funeral, but there was something fierce about the outfit Marianne couldn’t help but admire.

After all, Violet had been bitchy, but Marianne’s true beef lied with Roland, not her.

“You look very nice today Violet.” Marianne said, wringing her hands slightly. Violet looked taken aback and after a moment replied with gratitude.

Marianne nodded, “you’re welcome.” Then walked in the direction Roland had taken, ignorant of Violet eyeing her up and down, though she became slightly aware of it even after she had taken her seat in-between Steph and a professional lawyer, whose glasses consumed half his face.

“We are defending Plum Windam whose wealthy husband was found shot dead in their mansion home.” Chipphan announced as he entered.

“Gold-digger?” Violet asked, pencil posed.

“You would think so,” Chipphan said, meeting Violet’s eye, before looking back down at his notes, “even though he was 60, but no, she was rich on her own some sort of... perfume empire? Instant... Magic Perfume was her company name.”

Marianne’s eyes widened, no way she thought to herself, but she had to be sure.

“Wait, are you talking about Plum Sugar?” 

There was a burst of soft laughter about the name, but Chipphan put on his glasses and looked quickly through his notes, “Maiden name, Sugar, you know her?” 

“She was a Delta Fae, but she graduated, four, no five years before me.” Marianne replied, ignoring the man smirking to her left. “Her perfumes are amazing, they are ethically sourced and not tested on animals, she’s big against animal testing. She makes them herself too, which is the best part, honestly, they are like a potion they are that intoxicating. She’s gifted.”

“It would also seem that she’s guilty,” Chipphan remarked, whipping off his glasses. “She was seen standing over her husband’s body-”

“By who?” Roland asked, pipping up.

“His daughter and their pool boy, ah! You’ve arrived.” Chipphan said, and everyone turned to see who he was referring too.

“Sorry I’m late, excuse me.” The tall man said, taking the seat down from Violet. His blue eyes didn’t leave Marianne’s the whole time.

“Everyone this is Bog Richmond, another associate.” Chipphan introduced, going on to giving some examples of the sterling experience that Bog had been a part of, including being the former editor at Harvard Law Review, which Marianne had read a couple of times.

“You have probably seen him lurking around on campus doing my research.” concluded Chipphan who returned to his notes.

“Thanks for the introduction.” Bog said with a grin, one that Marianne could help but smile at.

She whispered ‘hi!”, she liked him, he was nice – the few times when she had run into him, when she was low, he had helped her out. There needed to be more people like him in the world of law. 

The room had continued to move onto a conversation regarding the murder weapon, a gun which Chipphan believed Plum had stashed before the police had arrived at the scene.

“I just don’t feel like Plum could have done this.” Mariane said, which prompted all heads to rise up and all eyes to home in on her.

“Her perfume’s make you feel good, the same effect as dancing or eating chocolate – they release endorphins and endorphins make you happy. Happy people don’t kill their husbands.”

“Outstanding logic.” Chipphan sighed, but Bog was smiling with silent pride.

***

Plum sat at the end of the table, she was a natural blonde, her hair falling over her shoulders. Not a lot of people could pull off wearing such a vibrant orange, but Plum nailed it.

“I didn’t do it.” She said, her eyes meeting Chipphan’s with defiance. “I walked in and saw my husband just, there on the floor. I bent down to check his heart, screamed my head off when I couldn’t find a pulse and saw the blood and that's when Velma ran in with Iglesias.”

“So, the pool boy and your stepdaughter ran in to find you covered in your husbands' blood.”

It wasn’t a question, it was a direct observation. Everyone looked towards Plum, it would seem the odds were not in her favour. 

“Why would I kill my husband?” Plum asked, upset that anyone would think that of her.

“Insurance, love affair, pure hatred. The list goes on and the district attorney, believe me, will think of many reasons.”

Marianne watched as Plum visible inhaled, her annoyance and heartbreak easy to read in her face alongside her ferocity. “I _loved_ him.”

“He was decades older than you,” Chipphan said as he paced, “that, does not look so good to a jury.”

Plum wiped around to face Chipphan, “Then show them a picture of his dick-”

Marianne couldn’t hide her smirk and even Violet pulled a face.

“That’ll clear a few things up.” Plum finished.

Chipphan blinked as if he was trying to brush off the last comment. “Plum, I believe you, but the jury will want an alibi.”

“I can’t give you that, and if you put me on the stand – I'll lie.” Plum faced away from her lawyer, stubborn in posture.

“I guess we are done for today.” Chipphan declared, picking up his suitcase which prompted everyone to collect their belongings and leave.

Plum broke her stance as soon as Chipphan had left, her head falling into her manicured hands and with a deep sigh, she rested her cheeks in her palms. As Marianne headed for the exit, she couldn’t help but feel for Plum, people said that being married was hard, but being sentenced for murdering your husband? That’s gotta take the cake.

Plum frowned as she got to her feet. “Hey, I know you.”

“I’m a Delta Fae, I’m a huge fan of yours.” Marianne said, unable to hide her excitement. 

“You came to that pop-up perfume class I did, you have the best sense of smell I’ve ever seen.”

From anyone else the comment would have been obscure, but to Marianne it was one of the highest compliments she had ever received, for a moment, she was in awe.

“Are you one of my lawyers?” Plum asked, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

“Yeah, sort of!” 

“At least one of you has a brain.” Plum smiled, looking somewhat happier about her situation, a smile she kept up as a guard led her back to her cell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the original, the stepdaughter is called Chutney and the pool boy Enrique, but I wanted to change it up a little.   
> Chutney became Velma, as it was the same actress who played her in the live (2002) Scooby-Doo film, and Enrique became Iglesias, like the singer. Terrible easter eggs I know.


End file.
